May 1961 storm reports: hail, wind and tornadoes
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In May 1961, 162 hail, 124 damaging-wind and 137 tornado reports were logged on 30 storm days across 37 states. The largest hail reported was 9.99″ (softball size) in Whitley County, IN on May 6, 1961. The most hail reports came on May 7, 1961 (27). Tornadoes killed 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Data through November 6, 2026. Methodology
← April 1961 All 1961 storm days June 1961 →
Source: National Storms (nationalstorms.com), CC BY 4.0, data from NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports.
Biggest storm days of May 1961
| Day | Hail | Wind | Tornado | Largest hail | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 1961 | 27 | 14 | 21 | 3.00″ | 10 |
| May 5, 1961 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 2.50″ | 10 |
| May 6, 1961 | 14 | 3 | 16 | 9.99″ | 10 |
| May 21, 1961 | 15 | 7 | 10 | 3.00″ | 2 |
| May 14, 1961 | 3 | 14 | 11 | 2.75″ | 8 |
| May 8, 1961 | 2 | 17 | 6 | 3.00″ | 10 |
| May 16, 1961 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 4.00″ | 5 |
| May 30, 1961 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 3.00″ | 5 |
| May 4, 1961 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 3.00″ | 3 |
| May 3, 1961 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 3.00″ | 3 |
Largest hail reported in May 1961
| Day | Size | Location |
|---|---|---|
| May 6, 1961 | 9.99″ (softball) | Whitley County, IN |
| May 16, 1961 | 4.00″ (grapefruit) | Washita County, OK |
| May 25, 1961 | 4.00″ (grapefruit) | Parmer County, TX |
| May 25, 1961 | 4.00″ (grapefruit) | Lavaca County, TX |
| May 28, 1961 | 3.50″ (teacup) | Lynn County, TX |
| May 3, 1961 | 3.00″ (teacup) | Motley County, TX |
| May 3, 1961 | 3.00″ (teacup) | Motley County, TX |
| May 4, 1961 | 3.00″ (teacup) | Woods County, OK |
| May 7, 1961 | 3.00″ (teacup) | Clay County, KS |
| May 8, 1961 | 3.00″ (teacup) | Delaware County, OK |
Storm reports by state, May 1961
| State | Hail | Wind | Tornado | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 33 | 13 | 42 | 4.00″ |
| Texas | 49 | 12 | 24 | 4.00″ |
| Kansas | 15 | 13 | 7 | 3.00″ |
| Arkansas | 5 | 7 | 14 | 2.75″ |
| Missouri | 12 | 10 | 4 | 1.75″ |
| Nebraska | 7 | 9 | 6 | 3.00″ |
| Illinois | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2.75″ |
| Colorado | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1.50″ |
| Iowa | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0.75″ |
| Indiana | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9.99″ |
| Kentucky | 0 | 5 | 2 | – |
| New Mexico | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3.00″ |
| Wisconsin | 0 | 6 | 1 | – |
| Florida | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1.75″ |
| Montana | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2.00″ |
| New York | 0 | 4 | 2 | – |
| Ohio | 0 | 3 | 3 | – |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1.75″ |
| Alabama | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2.50″ |
| Tennessee | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0.75″ |
| Louisiana | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1.50″ |
| North Carolina | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1.75″ |
| Virginia | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1.25″ |
| Georgia | 0 | 1 | 2 | – |
| Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.00″ |
| Mississippi | 0 | 3 | 0 | – |
| South Carolina | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1.75″ |
| South Dakota | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1.00″ |
| Wyoming | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2.00″ |
| Maryland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.25″ |
| Nevada | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.75″ |
| Utah | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.75″ |
| Washington | 0 | 2 | 0 | – |
| Maine | 0 | 0 | 1 | – |
| Michigan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.00″ |
| North Dakota | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.75″ |
| West Virginia | 0 | 1 | 0 | – |
Every storm day in May 1961
May 1 May 2 May 3 May 4 May 5 May 6 May 7 May 8 May 9 May 10 May 11 May 12 May 13 May 14 May 15 May 16 May 17 May 18 May 19 May 20 May 21 May 22 May 23 May 24 May 25 May 26 May 28 May 29 May 30 May 31
A storm day runs 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. Eastern (12:00–12:00 UTC), the convention the Storm Prediction Center uses. Read more about NOAA storm reports.